Carsonville, Missouri facts for kids
Carsonville is a small community in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. It's called an "unincorporated place" because it's not an official city or town, but rather a neighborhood or area within the county.
Where is Carsonville Located?
Carsonville is found in St. Louis County, Missouri. It is located between a major highway, Interstate 70, and Route 115. This area is on the southeast edge of Berkeley. Carsonville is surrounded by Berkeley to the north, Bel-Ridge to the west and south, and Bellerive to the east. The community got its name from the Carson family, who used to own a store and a blacksmith shop nearby.
Carsonville's History and the Old Train Line
Many of the original houses in Carsonville are still standing today. This community was once important because of an old train line called the West End Narrow Gauge Railway. This railway ran from St. Louis all the way to Florissant.
The train tracks passed right through Carsonville. They came up the north side of Natural Bridge Road, then made a big curve across Carson Road (which is now Hanley Road). From there, the tracks headed towards Lake Ramona, an area now part of Berkeley. The railway also passed by the western edge of Thies Farm, which is still in business today.
What Remains of the Railway?
Over time, this train line became part of the Florissant and City Limits-Ferguson streetcar lines. Even today, you can still see parts of the old railway path, or "right-of-way," in Carsonville. An old building that helped power the electric trains, called an electric substation, is also still visible.
On Cranberry Lane, west of Hanley Road, the old train path is still there. You can even see electric poles and concrete posts that once lined the railway. North of Lake Ramona, Hanley Road itself was the streetcar path all the way to Airport Road and beyond. The spot where the Ferguson line connected at Suburban Avenue is no longer visible, but the electric substation from that time is still standing on the east side of Hanley Road, right next to the street. This substation was quite famous when it was built and was written about a lot in magazines about electric railways.
